Wednesday Morning, 3 AM
by DoctrineDark
Summary: When a planned job goes awry, Griffin seeks refuge with his girlfriend, on what could be their first - and last - night together. Two principal pairings involved and implied.
1. The One You Love

**ATTENTION:** The fic is revised in lieu of an upcoming sequel following the events of this story as well as to tie in with elements of the **iGot a Hot Room** episode. Happy holidays to all!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own iCarly (and its characters). This fic will be in a slightly darker AU setting that uses the continuity of some episodes. Rated M for certain themes.

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**Chapter 1**

**THE ONE YOU LOVE  
**

It was a cold December night. The pavement was shrouded by a thin layer of snow and tiny white flakes as they continued falling down all around. Amongst the sounds of vehicles zooming on the streets, blaring sirens from police cruisers could be heard in the distance, sending out jets of blue and scarlet against the night sky.

A lad in his late teens walked alone on the streets of Seattle. He was covered in his leather jacket, a slightly visible rip along the right sleeve. Ignoring the numbness that crawled across his skin, the boy quickly strode across sidewalks and alleyways. Being streetwise made him quite adept in trekking through these intricate labyrinths.

Finding refuge in one dark alley, he lurked behind the shadows of a dumpster as he heard the insistent ring of his Pear Phone from his pocket. Seeing the caller ID, he quickly drew it to his cheek and answered the call, keeping himself camouflaged in the darkness.

"Kato, I apologize for not meeting up with you guys after that. Look, I'm not breaking up with the group!"

The voice on the other line seemed to be threatening, causing Griffin to raise his voice.

"The money is safe with me! I just need to meet up with someone tonight, and then I'll meet up with the group at dawn, same place as planned. Goddammit, Kato, why the hell do you think I'd betray the group to them?"

Another warning on the other end made Griffin's voice fall into silence. He took a deep breath. For that moment onward, there was no other face he would want to see but this girl.

"I got to go. I promise to show up later, same place. Goodbye."

After he ended the call, he began to type in a quick text message to the person he was hoping to visit. After he sent it, he shut the phone off and placed it back in his pocket. He pulled out a slender metal rod and stuffed it into the bonnet he was holding. He silently placed the now-heavier bonnet into a nook behind the dumpster. Avoiding the stinging sensation on his right arm, he patted a lump inside his jacket before going on his way out of the alley into Kennedy Square.

Griffin entered the doors of Bushwell Plaza, where he was met by the building's obnoxiously irate doorman, Lewbert. The man shrieked at him, pointing accusing fingers as Griffin walked into the lobby.

"Oy, you! Why are you still outside? Don't you know about curfew?"

"I'm nineteen, douche bag. I'm already outside the boundaries of curfew."

"Gyaaaaah! Look at what you've done on the floor! You've filled it with pesky mud and snow! I've just made my final mop for the night!"

"Whatevs, Wartman."

"Punk! GET OUT OF MY SIIIIIIGHT!"

Griffin walked past the doorman, smirking as he ascended the staircase of the building. For every step he made, he remembered his girlfriend's face, filling his mind with thoughts about how she had fallen into his arms again. It had been about a year now and they were back in a relationship again.

Some two years ago, rumors had spread like wildfire within the apartment and even in Ridgeway that the girl's male best friend had saved her in a life-threatening accident. And within the week, Griffin learned that the girl had fallen madly in love with her best friend because of this. But because of some unknown reason, they had broken up just as quickly as they had begun dating. Griffin scoffed at how pathetic it was for the male best friend to let go of the girl when he already had her. Taking the entire situation under consideration, Griffin had hoped for a chance to get her back.

And that time finally came.

She had been walking alone in the dark streets of Seattle for a quick errand without her two usual companions. Unfortunately, a female traveling in solitude always attracted a pack of nocturnal predators. A group of tattooed goons approached and moved in on their prey. The girl, sensing danger, tried to run as fast as she could from the four teenaged assailants. After a long pursuit, the thugs managed to trap her in a dark dead end of a murky alley. Tears began to fall from the helpless girl's eyes as she sank down onto the ground, leaning against the filthy brick wall.

Her attackers slowly moved in towards her, some of them holding switchblades and laughing as one of them gave the order to "rip up her clothes." All was lost for the girl until a familiar male suddenly emerged behind her assailants and distracted them. All four thugs ganged up on him, but he was just too fast for them. His street smart skills and agility enabled him to defeat his attackers without much effort and only suffered very minor gashes from their weapons. The thugs, soundly beaten, retreated out of sight. In sheer gratitude, the teary-eyed girl recognized her savior and flung her arms around him as he brought her back to her apartment.

The girl became rather torn between the two males, both of whom she was now indebted to. Because her best friends were the supportive ones, they were quite alright with the fact that she began dating Griffin again despite the shallow reason for their former break-up. Her male best friend tried to hide his heartache once again due to this reunion, but his love and loyalty towards the love of his life prevailed in the end over his misgivings.

Being in a higher level, Griffin still managed to miraculously graduate from Ridgeway, even with dwindling grades and landing a "business" job, though he was still not sure when or where he would go to college. The three best friends were now in their senior year and were taking their time enjoying the remaining months together in doing their ever popular web show, which they would have to cease producing after graduation as they went their separate ways for college.

Griffin had treated his "job" as confidential and never confided in anyone about it, not even his girlfriend. Since he was just getting started in his new occupation, he and his girlfriend hadn't really bonded that much, save for once or twice a month which barely time in Bushwell Plaza at all. However, in those short spans of time they were together, he had slowly influenced her with his bad boy persona. His girlfriend retained her sweet attitude, yet developed more of a rebellious air which worried her big brother and her male best friend, though her blonde best friend was rather ecstatic about her "new" side.

Things went well until Griffin learned that his girlfriend's male friend had also developed an obsession about finding out what exactly his new job was. Luckily for him, his girlfriend trusted him completely and dismissed her friend's accusations as mere jealousy. More time passed as her best friend tried to expose Griffin's secret until one day, he finally decided to drop the bomb on all of them. Even Griffin himself had been alarmed when he said it in front of him and his girlfriend. Then all of a sudden, her hand flew across her friend's face.

Despite the girl's apologies, that incident started a considerable rift between the two. The male friend still remained her technical producer, but their friendship had been compromised. _He might have the abilities of being a Devil's Advocate, but their friendship is not as strong as it seems_, Griffin laughed to himself at the thought.

Little did he know that his girlfriend's best friend still had a trick up in his sleeve.

Griffin finally reached the 8th floor and approached the door of apartment 8-C. He knocked on the hard wooden door. A few seconds later, the door swung open slowly and a female brunette stood before him, wearing a sweater, pajamas and slippers.

"Griffin!" Carly Shay greeted, hugging him in a tight embrace. "What brought you here?"

"I missed you of course." He grinned. "Is your oddball of a brother still awake?"

"No, he was already asleep in his room when you sent your message. Where are you coming from this late at night?"

"Well, some sort of serious business."

"Like what?" Carly asked playfully, "An auction at a late night Pee Wee Baby Convention?"

Griffin raised an eye at this with a dirty look on his face.

"I'm just kidding." Carly said, punching him lightly on his arm. Griffin hid a groan as the pain came back in full force.

She asked in concern, "Are you alright?" When Griffin nodded, she added, "How come you won't meet with your mom?"

Griffin scoffed, "Nah, I haven't spoken to my mom for some time now. I'm staying with one of my pals in the business. Anyway, since I missed you and we barely see each other, I wanted to dedicate this night to you."

Carly was puzzled, "What do you mean?"

He smiled. "_I want you._ I want to spend this night - with you."

Carly felt her heartbeat quicken. "Uh… okay. Come in quietly. I don't want to wake up Spencer." Griffin entered the dark living room and Carly slowly shut the door, popping the chain lock in place.

Griffin gave Carly another smile in the darkness as they made their way up to her room.

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**Song Title/Lyrics Reference: **_**The One You Love**_ - Glenn Frey

**Author's Note:** Well, my very first attempt for a fic. The potential triangles in the show are quite interesting, one of which is the Freddie-Carly-Griffin triangle: a mix of emotions between love and infatuation. Besides, I want some tension between Carly and Freddie first. There might be some terminologies that I deliberately made vague, which I will clear up by the time this short fic ends. Comments and critiques are quite welcome!


	2. In the Heat of the Night

**Disclaimer:** I don't own iCarly (and its characters). This chapter is where the M really takes place.

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**Chapter 2**

**IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT  
**

Carly and Griffin silently made their way up the stairs and into her bedroom. They both entered the purple haven softly lit by a light emanating from the lone lamp on her nightstand; the window sent a pale glow of the Seattle skyline into the room.

Griffin looked around the darkened purple surroundings of the room, filled with all sorts of novelties and fancy items.

"Whoa. You have one sweet room here."

"Thanks, the makeover was my birthday gift from Spencer and my friends for my sixteenth."

He paced once around the cozy ornaments before gazing out the window to view the streets below, the Space Needle sending a faint glow against the glass. Carly locked the door and turned back to see Griffin sit on the bench along the window. He pulled off his leather jacket and sweatshirt, revealing his self-designed punk shirt with a bloodied sleeve over a gashed arm.

Carly was alarmed. "Oh my god, you're bleeding! What happened to your arm?"

Griffin chuckled, "Nah, just a flesh wound from another accident. Don't bother about it. You know your boyfriend is a klutz sometimes. Some of these scars just prove it."

Carly instructed him, "Go to the bathroom and wash off the blood. I'll go get my first-aid kit and get that cleaned-up and bandaged."

Slightly squeezing his arm to avoid further blood loss, Griffin entered the bathroom and complied with the girl's instructions. After turning the faucet on, he held out his bleeding arm under it, washing off the blood as well as his hands while thinking about this reunion with his girlfriend in the night.

Carly fumbled on her cabinet for the first-aid kit, still thinking of Griffin's words that he _wanted_ her tonight. Her heart began to throb in her chest. True, they had barely seen each other for quite a while because of his "job," but the context of his words freaked her out. Trying to calm herself, she took a deep breath after she located the kit and prepared the antiseptic spray and bandages.

After a few minutes, the rushing sound of tap water stopped and Griffin emerged from the bathroom. Carly sat by the bed with the kit near her, gesturing him onto the adjacent space. She did not expect him to remove his last shirt before sitting beside her, dropping his bloodstained clothes on the floor. Carly made a small gulp when she saw his scarred torso in the faint light once again. She smiled at Griffin before she began tending on the wound. She heard him groan as she applied the "Boo-boo spray" on the injury, but kept her eyes on her work though she's aware of Griffin staring intently on her. The rise of color on her cheeks was plainly visible in the lamplight.

Carly carefully wrapped the bandage around Griffin's arm, trying to keep her attention from his bare torso and his not-so-subtle attempts to catch her off-guard with those features. _God, he's seducing me_, she thought. After she had the wound all bound up, she secured it with tape and breathed.

"There, all done!"

Griffin stood up and flexed his arm repeatedly, examining the bandage. "Thanks, darling."

Carly was astonished at what he called her. She was more surprised when he walked to the opposite end of the bed and began unbuckling his pants and pulling them off. Only clad in gray boxers, he climbed onto the bed and took off his socks. Shoving his clothes onto the floor, he then leaned on his elbow and directed a manic look on the stupefied Carly.

Pretending she was unaware on what he _really_ wanted from her, Carly asked him. "Uh, you could sleep in winter without a shirt... and pants?" She felt embarrassment as she could see the bulk in his boxers.

Griffin made a small laugh with a familiar grin. "Yeah I do. I'm used to it, not just during winters." Suddenly, Carly faintly smiled as she thought of someone who had boasted to her and Sam that he once slept not only shirtless, but only wearing his socks. Someone who had always been loyal to her but whom she took for granted one too many times... one of her best friends she had a big quarrel with because of this guy in front of her...

Her train of thought was broken when Griffin spoke. "Anything bothering you?"

Carly shook her head and quickly denied, "No, of course not."

Griffin held her waist and brought her closer, meeting her lips with his. Carly placed her arms around his shoulders as his hands moved up and down along her ribs, running his thumbs along the sides of her bosoms that sent tingles deep within her.

"Are those stereo speakers built-in on your your bed?"

Carly moaned and nodded. She felt him smirk and reach out his hand to turn the stereo on. Soft music began to reverberate from each side of the headboard.

After kissing for the next minute, he broke lip contact and said, "Let's take off that sweater."

Carly's heart pounded painfully faster against her ribcage. She had longed for this kissing contact with him, but his desire for more bodily contact with her seemed to be a bit too fast. She nodded to hide her hesitation, pulling her sweater over her head. Griffin took her garment and tossed it on the floor, his eyes on Carly in her matching pink flannel pajamas. He gestured towards the pillows and Carly moved to the center of the bed, nervous on the prospect of the upcoming events.

As Carly pulled herself towards the headboard, Griffin inched closer to her, both of them bathed by the lamp's light on the nightstand. Extending both his arms, Griffin unbuttoned Carly's front; she sat frozen in place as her garment loosened. With her shirt undone, Carly felt his fingers ease away the fabric out of her body to expose her snow-white torso. Griffin reached to her spine and snapped the clasp behind her apart. He gradually slid the straps off her arms before throwing her bra away. Carly shivered as Griffin gently pushed her back, reclining her elbows against the mattress. Goosebumps rose all over her torso as cold frigid air struck her skin, causing her nipples to stand tight and erect.

Carly felt uneasy on her swift exposure to his eyes. She crossed her arms over her breasts and quickly lay down on the other side of the bed, facing away from Griffin.

Her voice trembled, "I think we shouldn't do this."

Griffin wrapped his arm around her abdomen that sent a wave through her insides. "C'mon, our first time won't be that bad. I just haven't seen you for a long while. This will be our moment."

"I'm just... nervous, I guess." She folded her arms tighter and winced when both taut peaks grazed her forearms, so she used her palms to cover her chest instead.

She nervously lifted herself up to sit facing Griffin once again, still covering her chest. His grip slowly eased her tensed arms from her body and took a moment to stare at her face and her bare torso in front of him.

Griffin gazed at her plump lips and thought of all the times those lips united with his, but now something else had caught his attention. Her curtains of black hair emphasized the tiny pink blossoms of her breasts. He gripped her arms and pulled her closer; Carly obliged and bent her head back for his lips to take.

"You like this?" Griffin slid his mouth along her neck with rough suckling motions.

Carly moaned in agreement but hid her sudden shock by shutting her eyes, feeling the pressure of his lips over her throat. When his cold palms roughly slid down her chest to cup each naked breast, she whimpered with eyes wide open. Those tiny nerves shot a jolt of lightning to her spine and down to her center.

"This?" Griffin's fingertips rolled and stroked both of her nipples; his eyes fixated on her, grinning at her sensitive movements.

"This?" Leading his lips back to hers, he felt himself hardening at the sight of her reactions.

"Mm... yes, I-I like it..." Carly gasped in rough breaths, drowned by that painful yet blissful feeling now flooding to her loins.

The motions of Griffin's fingers did not take long to arouse her full-on. Carly never knew such sensations existed from those tiny buds of her chest that would be her own Achilles Heel that night. That sudden attention he gave to her chest alarmed her. She wanted to plead him to stop, but those sensations prevented her...

Her eyes blinded with pleasure, Carly tried to maintain control over her body as his fingers tweaked her nipples. She felt enslaved by his clammy hands touching her bare skin and his thumbs caressing her tight, hard flesh. He made soft but relentless pulls and twists that elicited indefinable sensations within Carly, like a boneless body melting at his ministrations. Helplessly clenching at the pillows and sheets, Carly writhed and squirmed as Griffin assaulted her with kisses along her neck and over her heaving chest.

Pulling off his boxers to ease the pain from his own erection, Griffin held Carly's shoulders and slowly laid her flat on the bed. Their lips uniting once again, the teens allowed themselves to explore each other. Carly moaned as Griffin's manhood ground against her hips; he was quite satisfied with her reactions to his lovemaking to her breasts. A few moments later, Carly breathed nervously beneath rapid heartbeats. Griffin now moved towards her nether regions and Carly saw her pajama bottoms slither halfway down to her knees. His fingers ran from her chest down to her abdomen until he reached for the center of her thighs and felt her soaked underwear.

Carly's eyes fluttered wide at the chilling contact of his palm massaging over the warmth of her aching center. His hand crept into the edges of her panties and inserted his fingers into her, sliding to and fro her wet and warm passage as his finger stroked her bud. The utter sensation amplified when his other hand returned to caress the peaks of her chest. Carly's gratifying moans ensured Griffin that she was now completely under his spell.

Minutes had passed of Griffin continuously arousing Carly; he suddenly pulled out of the bed to produce a packet from his discarded pants. He could hear the slow breathing of the girl behind him as he slid on the rubber contents of the packet. Shutting off the stereo and turning back to sit beside Carly, he shed her remaining garments off her legs and saw her cheeks flush red with embarrassment. Griffin stretched out her trembling arms and legs into spread-eagle and crept over her, pinning her wrists upon the bed. Shivering with her extreme exposure, Carly's heart pounded as he hovered above her like a hawk swooping on a rabbit, his erection readily aligned to her damp center. They could see each others' heavy breathing as their eyes gazed intently at each other and joined for a passionate kiss.

And now... the culmination of their night has just begun: her moment of total surrender.

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**Song Title/Lyrics Reference: **_**In the Heat of the Night**_ - Sandra

**Author's Note:** So, Griffin's sly advances towards vulnerable Carly ended up their night in a lemon: note that Carly is still human who also falls into weakness. And before someone chucks me tomatoes, stones, (or molotovs) for the Carly/Freddie slant (I mentioned a **triangle** anyway), I still have one more chapter to conclude this fic to tie loose ends and twists. Again, reviews are highly appreciated!


	3. Silence is Golden

**Disclaimer:** Again, I don't own iCarly (and its characters). Anyway, I'm quite excited on iCarly's season ender this Saturday. I'm disappointed though for 2 months with no new episodes and the entire iBtH "shipwar" hype that looks like it won't be much of a very shippy episode at all (well, I wanna see some chemistry scene too between Griffin and Sam, personally).

I feel like a douche for not thanking the readers and reviewers of this fic, so I'm doing it now with a wee more emphasis on the latter. :) And now, on with the story.

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**Chapter 3**

**SILENCE IS GOLDEN  
**

An hour had passed. Fully spent in the heat of intercourse, the naked teenagers pulled away from each other on the bed, breathing rapidly as beads of sweat trickled on their bodies. Both satisfied by the whims of the flesh, Griffin and Carly faced one another once again as lips united, Carly moaning softly under the kiss. Griffin retreated back to the headboard, taking off the used condom and casually tossed it to the trash bin near her desk. He kissed Carly's forehead and she shyly planted three light kisses on his lips in return before laying her head on his chest. Griffin stroked the long hair running on her sweat-damp back and within minutes, he felt her slow gradual breathing against his bare skin. Assured of her slumber, he turned off the lamp and his eyes also closed in the dim room after their momentous night...

_Griffin was running on a long dark alley. He continued running and running yet the brick corridor seemed endless, filling his nostrils with the putrid smell of dumpsters and mud-turned snow. Suddenly sirens blared out of nowhere and silhouettes of uniformed figures appeared behind him, pursuing him..._

"_Halt!" shouted the cop, but he did not stop running._

"_Halt or I'll shoot!" repeated the cop warningly, but the teenager did not take heed._

**_BLAM!_**

_The sound of gunshot broke the silence of the Seattle night. The shell sped to its intended target and drove itself through his right lung and past his chest. A white billow and a jet of scarlet issued from the victim's mouth, staining the snow on the ground as he fell facedown with a dull thud..._

Griffin's torso flung up from its rude awakening, his breathing heavy and his body coursing with cold sweat. His hand instinctively moved towards his right breast and felt the skin whole. With a deeply relieved breath, the sting on his bandaged arm pointed the real wound's location. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand: exactly three hours past midnight, indicated by the green shimmer of its hands in the dark room.

He looked at the female figure sleeping beside him. He watched her intently under the winter moonlight that shone over her. Carly's peaceful sleep was reflected by her silent breathing and the gentle heave of her small breasts. Griffin pulled back the disheveled comforter to cover the soft white skin of her naked torso, her long hair radiating in a black mesh on her pillow. He smiled as she made a deep breath; accentuating those pink peaks of her chest and the subtle curves of her form beneath the sheets.

Still gazing at his sleeping girlfriend, Griffin wanted to relish the thoughts of the coupling they just made earlier: her heaving chest glistened with sweat and her eyes gleamed at him with nervous passion. He could hear her cry of shock when he finally entered and claimed her, followed by the painful union of their bodies; that mutual heat and desire they both felt as they made love. Even after their passionate hour had passed, he heard her silently mutter, _"I love you, I love you, I love you..."_ beneath her light kisses on his lips.

But reality has sunk its fangs on him. As much as he wanted to stay in the room with her, the earlier events of that night came flooding back to Griffin, as if trying to drown any trace of pleasure he had in the past hours. His desire to sleep beside his girlfriend was being extinguished; anyway, he has gotten what he aimed from her tonight. He wanted her, he got her, and he had claimed her. He got her vulnerable tonight, she fell to his charms, he made love to her lips, made love to her breasts, made love to her loins, and made love to her entire being. She's given him herself, but why did he have this empty, hollow feeling?

_A group of boys entered the hobbyist's specialty store in the closing hours of the night. The delinquents took their positions around, checking the rows of rare comics and valuable sets of collector's action figures. _

_The lone middle-aged salesman, presumably the shop owner, spoke behind the counter. "Boys, the store's closing. Please return tomorrow."_

_The teenagers resumed looking at the merchandise like they've not heard a word._

"_Have you heard me, or you're just messing with me? I have to close the shop."_

"_Oh hell no, you won't." The leader Kato smirked as he held up a revolver directly at the man. Griffin also raised his gun towards the salesman._

"_What the hell is going on with you stupid teens?" The owner demanded._

"_Well, we just want to have some late-night five-finger discount shopping. So hold your horses and don't move a muscle. " He began directing orders. "Griffin, keep an eye on that old man and get to the cash register. Daigo, Ivan, Erik, go ransack the store of anything rare that we can sell."_

_Kato joined them in smashing the displays for any stuff they could manage to get, even rare cards and old comic books they could sell at conventions for steep prices. Griffin peeked out the windows to scope the area, but the owner took his chances to take on the phone. Unfortunately for him, Kato had seen him move. "Griffin!" _

_In a sudden reflex, Griffin had turned towards the man's direction. After a silenced gunshot and a spurt of scarlet, the man groaned as he sank down behind the counter._

"_Griffin, the fuck are you doing? Go take the money on the register, quick! The rest, take whatever else you could and bail!" _

"_Damn Kato, even if you're the leader, would you shut up for once?"_

_Griffin quickly ran to the register and fumbled on the wads of cash on the drawer, stuffing them into his leather jacket pocket. He looked down on his apparent victim.  
_

_The man he had just shot sat on the corner, clutching his bleeding shoulder, but still alive. He grinned weakly, _"_You freaks will have your butts handed over to the police soon… or even now."  
_

_The boys made their way out of the store but they had barely left a distance from it when 2 police cruisers had parked near them._

"_Shit!" Kato yelled. "Everybody, scram! Meet up at the designated place! Griffin, don't ever think about running with that money!" He warned as Griffin nodded. _

_They scrambled as four police officers came out of the cars and began the pursuit to each of them. Griffin quickly ran to a maze of alleys as a cop chased him down across one dark corridor._

"_Halt!" shouted the cop, but he did not stop running._

"_Halt or I'll shoot!" repeated the cop warningly, but the teenager did not listen. But instead, he fired a silenced shot towards the cop behind him, but missed. _

**_BLAM!_**

_The bullet grazed against the right arm of his jacket. Griffin felt the warmth seeping inside the lacerated sleeve. He fired another shot towards the cop but continued to run and weave through the alleys, clutching his arm..._

After the climactic part of the night is finally over, Griffin decided that this time was best for the worse part... he had to leave. He stood up from the bed, picking up his clothes and began putting each garment on. Clearing his throat, he began to speak in an audible voice to indirectly wake her up.

"Carly, I had to go. Something in the job I had went wrong and now me and my group are now on the run." He lowered onto her sleeping form and kissed her forehead and lips. "I can't stay here much longer and I don't know when I'll be back." Pulling on his leather jacket over his stained shirt, he added. "I guess that weenie nerd friend of yours will be having his little hopes up on you again. He's so pathetic in attempting to be a bad boy. You're great in bed, by the way. You did not disappoint. So, until then. And thanks for the bandages."

The girl on the bed remained still with her eyes remained shut until the young man left and closed the door. When she heard the doorknob click shut, her entire body trembled yet she felt a numbing sensation withher boyfriend's confession. It all went into a realization to her that she was dumped, again, and at the price of her innocence. Carly sobbed as she rolled facedown onto her pillow, clenching it with a muffled scream at the situation she had just taken. She cried against the pillow long enough to make a big patch of moisture on it. She then recalled that she should have trusted her best friend's statement on the night they had their biggest quarrel. She couldn't believe it's all happening now...

_It was a normal day for an iCarly rehearsal with Sam still not arriving at the appointed time. Freddie walked into the studio and saw Griffin sitting on the hood of the car, with Carly making out with him. Freddie cleared out his throat to emphasize his arrival and Carly jumped out of Griffin's grip as her boyfriend shot a look of venom to Freddie for interrupting them. Freddie then approached his tech cart and began setting up his equipment as he was partly used on seeing this scene multiple times already._

"_Hi, Freddie," Carly made an effort to greet him first as an attempt to fill the awkward moment he saw them._

"_Hi, Carly, Griffin. You guys continue what you're doing. I don't want to intervene with your session."_

"_You interrupted us already, dweeb." Griffin scoffed from behind Carly._

"_Griffin," Carly interjected as she turned back to Freddie, "Where's Sam?"_

"_You know her drill. She's coming late." Carly nodded, still feeling awkward._

_Griffin reached out for her hand and tried to pull her back. "C'mere. Let's get back to where we are. Don't mind that dork."_

_Carly tried to resist, but Griffin had already pulled her and they began kissing once again. Griffin looked over Carly's shoulder with a victorious stare on the tech producer who reciprocated his nasty look towards him._

_Despite he had accepted the fact that Carly was so into Griffin once again, Freddie was seething at how Griffin still forced Carly to kiss him like that. Selfish or not, he just can't bear it this time, as far as he's concerned._

"_Carly, I just learned something about those who had tried to attack you based on how you described them."_

_Pulling away from kissing Carly, Griffin groaned. "Ah, shit. Come on, you are still persistent about that? I had also saved her from those idiots who were outmatched by me!"_

_Freddie raised the corner of his lips. "Why Griffin, you afraid to have Carly know that you are - amongst them?" _

"_How dare you accuse me like that, you bas-" Griffin began to walk towards Freddie, his fist clenched and his face contorted with rage._

"_What? What do you mean?" Carly asked Freddie incredulously as she stopped Griffin's advance. _

"_Your boyfriend is in cahoots with those who cornered you." Freddie answered calmly._

"_Hah. You can't prove anything." Griffin grinned._

"_I won't be confident like that if I were you." Freddie retorted._

"_Freddie, that's unfair for you to give him that serious accusation!"_

"_Yeah, show him, Carly." Griffin snickered._

_Freddie's voice also rose. _"_What? I can't believe this, Carly. Wake up! The way you described to me the boys you had seen that night, your boyfriend is all friends with the same guys who wanted – who wanted to rape you!"  
_

"_That's enough, Freddie!" Carly turned back, her hand swept across his face. The blow delivered a loud impact that made Freddie move a step back. _

_At that same moment, the elevator dinged and Sam Puckett stood inside the car, chewing on a piece of chicken and cheese stuffed quesadilla she was holding. The masticated mass fell from her mouth the moment she saw the incident._

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on in here?" The blonde asked in distress as she stepped out of the car._

_Freddie steeled himself from his humiliation, his voice rough but with frightening calm. "Yeah, Carly, defend him. I'm just your friend anyway."_

_Carly herself was astounded at what she just did. "Freddie, I'm sorry – "_

_Freddie stopped her. "No, Carly. I AM sorry. I am sorry I am this selfish jerk who tries to sabotage your relationship. You've really changed. It feels like you're not the same anymore. You know, I now regret breaking up with you even though I'm just –" he shot a look at Sam, then back at Carly, "your 'foreign bacon', than to find it will all end up to this and see you that way."_

_Those words were like scalding knives hurled at her. Carly felt her chest had just become a pincushion, tears forming freely in her eyes. "Look, Freddie, please, I'm so sorry…"_

_Freddie turned back to leave, "Don't worry, I'm still your tech producer till the very last webcast we'll do iCarly. And I'm still your friend. But it seems clear to me I have to keep my distance from now on." With that, he stepped out without looking back._

_Griffin jeered. "Wow, what a litany. And what's with all that foreign bacon bullshit? Come on Carly, don't cry over that nerd."_

_Sam asked, "Carls, you all right?" a look of worry evident on her face._

_Carly nodded as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "We have to postpone the rehearsal today, Sam."_

The sun had barely risen as Carly sat on the bed. She now deeply regretted that incident, pulling her legs toward her naked body as she cried hard on her knees. Of all these times, Freddie was right: he still remained true to her despite his being cold and casual at her these past months. Another memory whipped into her mind.

Freddie had given her a flat square parcel one night a few weeks after their quarrel.

_"If your trust on your boyfriend is disappearing yet you still have that little ounce of trust on me at least as a friend, you can open that."_

Carly knew she had kept that package in the drawers below her television. Without even bothering to pick up the piles of her flannel sleepwear on the floor, she walked towards the TV even in the aching soreness of her entire body and her trembling knees. She flung open the drawer and after a few seconds of rifling its contents, she found the parcel and tore open the wrapper: inside was a jewel case with a DVD labeled on the surface.

**_Carly, this will prove I'm telling the truth._ – Freddie**

She loaded the DVD and turned on the TV. It's a slideshow of images and videos with no audio. Carly brought her hands to her face when she saw the photos: they were indeed the teenage delinquents who attempted to defile her that night. The one looked like a Japanese-American, the other two looked like Europeans, and the thug who even ordered to strip her as she stood alone in that alley. She sobbed even more as she saw in the next snapshots that had someone handing money among those said goons.

_Griffin._

In shock, Carly quickly turned off the TV after these revelations. She stood up, still unclothed and walked towards the bathroom. She enclosed herself in the shower room and turned on the warm water until it drenched her whole self. But she realized that this running water can't cleanse her of what just happened to her. She felt so – damaged as pain shot into her from the bruises around her neck and shoulders the moment water splashed against her. She groaned as she massaged the painful throbbing on her bare chest from Griffin's unceremonious kissing and ministrations.

_Carly, you big fool, you gave up yourself for that mere moment of weakness,_ she thought to herself as she leaned towards the shower wall, her head lowered, water and her tears running down her hair. She doesn't know how she would tell this to Sam, and most especially Freddie and Spencer.

After half an hour, rays of sunlight had begun shining through the small window over the shower. Carly stepped out of the stall, dripping wet and not even minding to dry herself. She looked at her reflection on the bathroom mirror, her cheeks flushing red and her eyes swollen with tears. She stiffened for a minute, staring angrily at herself as she withdrew a pair of scissors from the cabinet beside the mirror. With one heavy heave of her bare chest, her fist encased on the long locks of her hair below her jawline. Faint snipping sounds were emitted as the curled ends of jet-black hair fell on the lavatory...

All the meanwhile, Griffin had managed to leave through the Shay's back door and exit the building via the fire exit stairwells. He made his way to the dumpster on the back alley, he drew the heavy bonnet from the nook and pulled out the gun inside it. Patting the wad of cash inside his jacket, he remembered Kato's threat to him through the cellphone last night.

_"If you don't show up by morning, we know where your little web star girlfriend lives. We might just do – what we're originally supposed to do – on your plan."_

Griffin made a heavy breath as he placed back the gun on his jacket. He began his trek to the appointed meeting place while the sun rose on the Seattle skyline.

**== END ==**

* * *

**Song Title/Lyrics Reference: **_**Silence is Golden**_ - The Tremeloes

**Author's Note:** And so ends this little 3-part fic. I hope I had clarified out those "plot devices" I had used since I started the fic and how it all connected with the story. Besides, I also wanted to leave it hanging in terms of Griffin's true purposes and enigma.

As for the "tragic" ending for Carly, I'm planning for another fic as a sequel: the aftermath of Carly's night and how it will strain or strengthen her bonds with her best friends. The fic will now be a Creddie one with a slight focus on how it also affected Freddie. Since I'm currently a mess under writer's block, I can't promise yet of its date of release.

I give major props to anyone who's a 60s music junkie who recognizes the title of this fic: the plot is loosely based from the Simon and Garfunkel debut song of the same title. :)

Again, thanks to all readers and reviewers.


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